Do you still have "kissing bridges" in Nebraska? My folks talked about people using them in the T era. The common name for them is covered bridge. It was a good place to hide on the prairie where there is no Blueberry Hill.

I taught Dolores how to drive in a Model A. We were on Murock dry lake near Edwards Airforce Base in the Mojave desert. She had a very hard time multitasking shifting gears and using the clutch while also watching the road and steering the car, so I took her to that dry lake where it didn't make any difference which way she went and she could stop and start and go through the gears as much as she wanted to. When she got that down, it was time to take her on the road and learn how to steer and drive in traffic. It worked! She has driven all our cars and used to drive a Dodge Pickup and a Ford pickup. However, she refuses to drive any of my Model T's! We live too far from the dry lake to teach her how to use the pedals, and I think she is afraid to try on the road. I wish she would just in case of an emergency when we are out in the T she could drive to get help. Norm

With the beautiful young ladies in your family Your going to have to do what my younger brother did when his daughter wanted to date. When the fellow came to pick her up and meet "the parents" my brother went to the door holding a shotgun and said "you'll have her home by 11 pm won't you?" He had her home at 10:30! (His other daughter he tied a pork chop around her neck so the dog would play with her)

After reading this article I thought back on how I taught one of my nieces to drive. She was 12 years old and I was taking her to an All Ford Show in my 65 HI-PO Mustang that I bought new. On the way there I took off from a stop sign, and nailed first and second gear. She had never been in a fast car before. She turned and looked at me in shock, which turned into a big grin on her face. I asked her if she wanted to drive it. Of course she did! After the show, I took her over to an empty parking lot. Before this I had her drive my 8N tractor once. When she took off for the first time in the Mustang it was like she had always driven it. Not every start was that good. Once she didnít give it enough gas, it started bucking, she nailed the gas and the smoked the tires. I told her nice save but a little hard on the drive-line. There was another boy there learning how to drive (an automatic) with his mother. Once, as they passed each other, she looked over at him as she grabbed third gear. I would have love to seen the smug look on her face. She only stalled it once after driving for about 45 minutes. I think she was tired and forgot to put the clutch in as she stopped.

When my 20 year old was 18 (2 years ago)I taught her to drive. As soon as she got good enough to drive on public streets and in heavy traffic we switched to driving only my Toyota 5 speed pickup. She loved to get in behind the wheel at school so she could grind reverse just enough to let the guys know she was driving a stick. As we'd pull away she'd goose the engine a couple of times to make sure everyone knew. I got a few young guys wanting me to teach them how to drive a stick!

I really didn't think of this, but our 14 daughter (goes fast) now drives to school on a school permit.

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to be driving home as she and her 12 year old sister were driving home behind me. It was slick, just at 32 degrees (worst temp for ice as far as I'm concerned). There was light snow/slush/ice on the road, and to my horror I saw her skid off the road, through the ditch and over a fence into a field.

Fortunately the ditch wasn't steep enough to tip the vehicle. I hurried back, drove the car out of the field, and we continued on home. My younger daughter was excited, but my driver daughter didn't seem phased (oldest kid, she always "acts" in control).

I was probably the most disturbed by the events of any of us. Anyway, teaching a girl (or boy) to drive involves a bit more than this little article.